Global Warming Threatens Swiss Alpine Huts as Permafrost Thaws
(MENAFN) Rising temperatures are destabilizing the Swiss Alps, where melting glaciers and thawing permafrost are putting mountain infrastructure at risk and potentially threatening nearly half of the country’s Alpine huts, according to reports published Thursday.
The Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) has been forced to relocate some mountain shelters and invest millions in replacement facilities and safety measures as conditions deteriorate.
The Mutthorn mountain hut in the Bernese Oberland developed increasingly wide and extensive cracks before being closed in 2021 because thawing permafrost raised concerns that the structure could collapse.
"We knew this hut probably wouldn’t last another hundred years. But the fact that it collapsed so quickly really scared us," Fabienne Notter, president of the Weissenstein section of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), told Swiss public broadcaster RTS.
Of the SAC’s 152 mountain huts across the Swiss Alps, 65 are situated in areas potentially affected by thawing permafrost. Routes leading to the shelters are also becoming more dangerous because of falling rocks, mudslides and shifting ground.
"We cannot predict what will fall or when. But one thing is certain it will collapse," said Nils Hahlen, head of natural hazards for canton of Bern.
The Aletsch Glacier is losing between four and six meters of thickness annually, requiring access staircases to be extended every two to three years to keep pace with the changing landscape.
"When there is no more meltwater left, the available water has to last until the following May," said Christoph Sager, the hut manager.
In response to the risks, a replacement for the Mutthorn hut was constructed approximately 900 meters from the original location, on more stable terrain with less exposure to avalanches.
The former shelter was fully dismantled in the summer of 2025, with the work costing more than $480,000.
The Swiss Alpine Club (SAC) has been forced to relocate some mountain shelters and invest millions in replacement facilities and safety measures as conditions deteriorate.
The Mutthorn mountain hut in the Bernese Oberland developed increasingly wide and extensive cracks before being closed in 2021 because thawing permafrost raised concerns that the structure could collapse.
"We knew this hut probably wouldn’t last another hundred years. But the fact that it collapsed so quickly really scared us," Fabienne Notter, president of the Weissenstein section of the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), told Swiss public broadcaster RTS.
Of the SAC’s 152 mountain huts across the Swiss Alps, 65 are situated in areas potentially affected by thawing permafrost. Routes leading to the shelters are also becoming more dangerous because of falling rocks, mudslides and shifting ground.
"We cannot predict what will fall or when. But one thing is certain it will collapse," said Nils Hahlen, head of natural hazards for canton of Bern.
The Aletsch Glacier is losing between four and six meters of thickness annually, requiring access staircases to be extended every two to three years to keep pace with the changing landscape.
"When there is no more meltwater left, the available water has to last until the following May," said Christoph Sager, the hut manager.
In response to the risks, a replacement for the Mutthorn hut was constructed approximately 900 meters from the original location, on more stable terrain with less exposure to avalanches.
The former shelter was fully dismantled in the summer of 2025, with the work costing more than $480,000.
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